From: "Brown, R Ken" <brownrk1@texaco.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 04:36:39 +0800
To: mah248@nyu.edu>
Subject: RE: Question about anarchic systems and natural disasters (fwd)
Message-ID: <896C7C3540C3D111AB9F00805FA78CE2013F8596@MSX11002>
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Michael Hohensee wrote:

> Anonymous wrote:
>> Soren writes:
>> > Simple,  they would work anarchically.  If the guy whose house is
>> > burning down is an assh*le, then let it burn.
>> Now you know why Choate fears anarchy.
>Fortunately for the alleged assh*le, there are likely lots of people
>(i.e. _firemen_) who are willing to come and put out his fire, if Mr.
>assh*le has contracted with them or someone else who has in turn
>contracted with them.  If they didn't, they would be marked (correctly)
>assh*les, and nobody would contract with them anymore, and they'd get
>real poor real fast.
>Michael Hohensee

No-one's yet noticed that my Jim's house burning down is a problem for
his neighbours.  Not just for the fear and distress it causes them but
because the fire might spread to their houses.  Which is why we have
fire brigades. And why they are nearly always paid for out of tax.
Almost the last thing in the world anyone does privately.  

Of course, that applies to cities, not to the country - but cities are
where it's at. 

Ken Brown.